At my last visit to Trader Joe’s, there was a gentlemen in front of me putting his groceries onto the conveyor belt. He looked back and questioned about the Speculoos Cookie Butter in my cart.
“Is that any good” he asked.
“It’s dangerously good” I confirmed.
I made sure to explain exactly where this product could be found within the store and made it clear that he MUST add it to his grocery list next time.
Back in 2015, Trader Joe’s fans elevated this epic spread to infamy by voting it the overall winner of it’s 6th annual customer choice awards. Other winners that year included the Mandarin Orange Chicken for favorite frozen entrée and the dark chocolate peanut butter cups for favorite candy.
Similar to peanut butter, Speculoos Cookie Butter has the same smooth consistency, but maybe a shade darker in color and a tad thicker. Trader Joe’s has also produced a Speculoos “crunchy” cookie butter that should be added to your cart at some point as well. Like the description says, this spread is made with crushed bits of spiced biscuits Belgian biscuits. This cookie butter spread has notes of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg, eerily similar to gingerbread. The caramelized spread has just the right amount of spices to make this food product so addicting.
It’s actually recommended that you don’t refrigerate the cookie butter as doing so could cause it to stiffen which would make it harder to eat by the spoonful as I so often do.
Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Ingredients
The ingredients in Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter have changed over the years. A former version of the product contained Coconut Oil, Rapeseed Oil Beta Carotene and Rapeseed Lecithin. These ingredients have all been replaced in the current version (see below) that can be found in stores in 2022.
SPECULOOS COOKIES (WHEAT FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED WHEAT FLOUR], CARAMELIZED SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL BLEND, [PALM OIL, CANOLA OIL, CITRIC ACID AND LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE {TO PRESERVE}], CANE SUGAR, SOY FLOUR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF INVERT SUGAR SYRUP, WHEAT GLUTEN, SODIUM BICARBONATE, CINNAMON, NUTMEG), VEGETABLE OIL BLEND (CANOLA OIL, PALM OIL CITRIC ACID [TO PRESERVE]), SUGAR, CANOLA LECITHIN.
CONTAINS SOY, WHEAT.
MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF MILK, EGG, ALMOND, HAZELNUT.
How to Use Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter
There are several different ways this delicious spread could be consumed. Drizzled on waffles, smeared on toast, and blended into a milkshake are some of the ways others enjoy eating Speculoos Cookie Butter. After tasting this sweet spread for the first time, you will understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying this right by the spoonful.
Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Recipes
This sweet-smelling butter is used in baking quite frequently, swapping it in recipes where peanut butter is typically found. I’ve seen recipes for white chocolate cookie butter cookies, cookie butter pie, and cookie butter stuffed blondies, all which are saved to my Pinterest account. Topping my warm bowl of oatmeal with the spiced cookie butter, is personally my favorite way to indulge. The cookie butter gets warmed from the hot oatmeal, and starts to melt throughout the filled bowl. For my dessert in the evening, there is nothing I love more than just that.
10 Delicious Cookie Butter Recipe Ideas
Here are 10 delicious recipe ideas to try if you just can’t get enough of that cookie butter taste or want to prepare something to indulge your craving or share with family and friends. Important note: many of the recipes below call for the Biscoff cookie spread. As the Trader Joe’s version is indistinguishable from the Biscoff version in both taste and texture you can comfortably substitute Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter 1:1 with the Biscoff spread.
Snickerdoodle Cookie Butter Sandwich Cookies – This recipe takes already incredible snickerdoodles to a whole new level with a cookie butter/cinnamon filling made with cookie butter, confectioners sugar, unsalted butter, cinnamon and milk. (You’ll need 1/2 cup of cookie butter spread)
Brown Butter Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – Traditional chewy chocolate chip cookies with a caramel flavor owing to the brown butter and hints of gingerbread spice from the cookie butter. These are a MUST try. (You’ll need 1 cup of cookie butter spread)
Cookie Butter Oatmeal Cookies – A simple chewy oatmeal cookie that really lets the cookie butter flavor shine through. Prepare for the mouth watering smell that will emanate throughout your home as these bake. (You’ll need 1/2 cup of cookie butter spread)
No-Bake Cookie Butter Granola Bars – These no-bake easy to make and allergy friendly granola bars are super easy to make. The recipe makes a total of 10 and is an easy and healthy grab and go snack for the week. (You’ll need 1/4 cup of cookie butter spread)
Cookie Butter Pretzel Treats with White Chocolate – Another really fun no-bake easy recipe. A filling of cookie butter spread, brown sugar, vanilla extract and butter layered between two pretzels for the ultimate snack sandwich. The recipe makes around 45-60 treats which are great to bring to parties or for a fun addition to any lunchbox. (You’ll need 1 cup of cookie butter spread)
Chocolate Cookie Butter Whoopie Pies – A creamy frosting made with cookie butter spread and cream cheese that floats elegantly between two chocolate whoopie pies. These are perfectly balanced with a filling that has just the right amount of sweetness to pair with the soft chocolate cookie pies. (You’ll need 1/2 cup of cookie butter spread)
Cookie Butter Ice Cream – This egg-free ice cream recipe can be made from start to finish in under 40 minutes. Sweet and rich vanilla ice cream with cookie butter swirled throughout. The perfect amount of cookie butter in each and every bite. (You’ll need 1 cup of cookie butter spread)
Cinnamon Blueberry Cookie Butter Breakfast Cookies – Soft, chewy and delicious breakfast cookies made with blueberries and white chocolate chips. This super simple recipe will yield you 8 large cookies all in under 15 minutes. (You’ll need 1 cup of cookie butter spread)
Cookie Butter White Chocolate Blondies – Soft and chewy as you would expect a blondie to be. What’s the secret? You’ll have to check out the recipe for yourself to find out. These blondies have the perfect ratio of white chocolate to cookie butter. (You’ll need 1/2 cup of cookie butter spread)
Cookie Butter Beer Floats – A grown up version of the ice cream float made with… you guessed it COOKIE BUTTER! This adult treat is made with a chocolate porter beer and vanilla ice cream. (You’ll need 3/4 cup of cookie butter spread)
Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Nutrition Facts
Nutritionally speaking, Speculoos Cookie Butter clearly isn’t your healthiest option, but can still be enjoyed in moderation. Per tablespoon, this spread clocks in at 85 calories, 5.5 grams of fat and 5.5 grams of sugar. For how indulgent this spread tastes, the nutrition facts are very fair in my opinion.
The jar can be purchased for just under four dollars and is well worth the price. It has a shelf life of nearly one year but we find it hard to believe it’ll remain in the pantry for that long.
There is also a very similar product sold, called Biscoff Cookie Butter, that can be found at other supermarkets, at big box stores such as Target or on Amazon. Biscoff Cookie Butter is made from Lotus Biscoff cookies, that sweet cookie treat that can typically be found on Delta airline flights. You can’t miss it in that traditional red package. If you do not live near a Trader Joe’s, this is a great substitute and can be found at nearly all supermarkets in the United States.
Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter Price:
At $3.99 for a 14.1oz jar, a jar of cookie butter is around the same price as a similarly size jar of peanut butter.
Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter vs Biscoff
Trader Joe’s has a tendency of finding products that knock it out of the park and creating versions that are nearly identical in flavor and texture. Trader Joe’s cookie butter is no exception to this. What they’ve created here is nearly identical to the original Biscoff Cookie Spread in flavor and texture. Some claim the the TJ’s version is a bit more granular and that the Biscoff version is a bit sweeter but in our opinion they’re pretty much indistinguishable from each other. For recipes that call for one or the other they can be substituted for one another on a 1:1 ratio.
Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Flavors and other products:
Since Speculoos Cookie Butter gained such a large following, Trader Joe’s had created several different flavors and products, all of which include the original Speculoos Cookie Butter flavor to start.
- Chocolate bars with Speculoos Cookie Butter
- Speculoos Cookie Butter ice cream,
- Speculoos Cookie Butter Cheesecake
- Speculoos Cookie Butter Beer
These are just a few products that have been invented all because of this irresistible, butter spread.
Personally, if I had to choose the crunchy or regular Speculoos Cookie Butter, I would take the crunchy version. I am the same way with peanut butter, so I suppose it is whatever you prefer. Like I had said to the gentleman checking out at Trader Joes’, this product is DANGEROUSLY GOOD. After reading this review, I do hope you were convinced as well, and will be running out to your nearest Trader Joe’s to purchase a jar of your own!! I will always have this food product in my pantry cabinet, likely to be consumed right from the spoon.